The district consumer disputes redressal forum, Jaipur-II, has issued notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, and Tiger Shroff, as well as the chairman of JB Industries, in connection with an alleged misleading advertisement for Vimal Pan Masala. The advertisement claims that each grain of the pan masala contains saffron. The forum has requested their presence on March 19 to address concerns, a report by the Times of India stated.
Chaired by Gyarsilal Meena and with member Hemlata Agarwal, the forum issued the notice following a complaint lodged by resident Yogendra Singh Badiyal of Jaipur. The complainant raised concerns about JB Industries' nationwide promotion of Vimal Pan Masala and specifically pointed out the involvement of the three actors in advertising the product for boosted sales. The advertisement claims the inclusion of saffron in the product, whereas the actual cost of saffron is significantly higher than that of the Pan Masala with Tobacco pouch offered by the company.
The Petition said: "Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgan, and Tiger Shroff advertise it to increase its sales. It is claimed in the advertisement that it contains saffron. However, the truth is that the price of saffron is around 4 lakh rupees per kg and their Pan Masala with Tobacco pouch comes in at Rs 5. In such a situation, forget about adding saffron, even its fragrance cannot be added to it."
The complaint stated that the advertisement is deceptive in its promotion of the product as containing saffron. It was further noted that the manufacturing company has a significant turnover, while consumers are at risk of developing serious illnesses, such as cancer from consuming the harmful combination of Pan Masala and tobacco known as gutkha.
"This mix, known as gutkha, is harmful to health, and the manufacturing company is also aware of this. In such a situation, it is deliberately advertising it by claiming that it contains saffron to mislead the common people. In such a situation, its advertisement should be banned," the petitioner said.
The forum has requested that the actors and JB Industries chairman provide a response to the notice by the specified deadline.